Overhead door



H. B. CLARK OVERHEAD DOOR April 3, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 1, 1947 April 3, 1951 Filed July 1, 1947 H. B. CLARK 2,547,196

OVERHEAD Dooa 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 H. B. CLARK OVERHEAD DOOR W/WZWw April 3, 1951 Filed July 1 1947 April 3, 1951 H. B. CLARK 9 1 OVERHEAD DOOR Filed July 1, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet; 4

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Patented Apr. 3, i951 OVERHEAD noon Henry B. Clark, Elizabeth, N. J. Application July 1, 1947, Serial No. 758,439

2 Claims.

This invention relates generally to doors of the so-called overhead type and more particularly to looks therefor. These doors usually include a plurality of panel sections hingedly connected at their edges on horizontal axes so that the panel sections may be arranged in a common plane in 'a door opening for closing the door and may pivotally relatively move to permit raising of the panel sections and movement thereof from the vertical plane into a horizontal plane overhead for opening the doors, the panel sections being mounted on rollers running in tracks.

Operating mechanism is provided forraising or opening and lowering or closing the door and some means is utilized to lock the door by preventing unauthorized operation of said mechamsm.

However, in many known doors of this type, it is possible through direct lifting action on the door, e. g., by the use of prying implements under the door, to raise the door from the outside sufliciently to permit a person to crawl under and open the door from the inside.

It is a prime object of my invention to provide novel and improved means for preventing such unauthorized opening of overhead doors of the type described.

Another object is to-provide an improved lock of the general character described which shall be automatically actuated into locking position upon exertion of any direct lifting action on the door.

A further object is to provide an improved door lock that incorporates a pawl and ratchet mechanism, which mechanism and associated hardware are inaccessible from the outside of the door.

Other objects are to provide a novel lock that is simple and inexpensive, rugged, easy to operate, entirely reliable and efiicient in operation and one that can be easily and quickly installed by inexperienced persons.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a rear elevational view of an overhead door embodying my invention and showing the door in closed position.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the plane of the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional Viewshowing the sheave and chain for lifting the door.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the door in closed position and the retaining pawl in'unlocked position. I Figure 5 is a similar view showing the pawl moved to locking position caused by the raising of the door.

Figure 6 is a View similar to Figure 5 but show- 2 ing the pawl moved to locking position caused by manual manipulation thereof from the inside. Figure '7 is a view similar to Figure 4 but taken at right angles thereto.

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 6 but taken at right angles thereto showing the pawl in look-- ing position with a different set of teeth.

Figure 9 is a view similar to Figure 8 but showing the pawl in looking engagement with the opposite set of teeth.

Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 6 but show ing the pawl and rack bar in elevation and showing a bottom end hinge and roller with associated track.

Figure 11 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the plane of the line I l-l l of Figure 1.

Figure 12 is a fragmentary front view of the chain and holding hook.

Figure 13 is an enlarged perspective view of the locking pawl.

Figure 14 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the plane of the line i4i4 of Figure 1.

Referring particularly to the drawings, the door comprises a plurality of panel sections A preferably formed of wood. Each panel section includes a pair of stiles i and a pair of rails 2. The stiles and rails are suitably undercut to receive a panel 3 preferably formed of wood.

For reinforcing the panel sections A and attaching hinges and roller mountings to the panel sections, I apply an angle bar 4 prefer-ably of metal to each rail 2 of each panel section. Preferably the angle bars have one flange 4a secured to the panel section and extending inwardly thereof fromthe edges of the section with screws 41) passing through the angle bars, the rails and the respective panels 3 to reenforce the attachment of the panels to the sections A. The other flanges 4c of the angle bars project perpendicularly from the rear sides of the panel sections.

Secured to the flanges 40 of the respective angle bars are the sections of hinges and roller mountings. As shown, the hinge sections 5 may be identical and each comprises an approximately U-shaped strip of metal having its base portion 6 secured as by Welding or riveting to the corresponding flange 4c and its arms 1 projecting toward the edge of the respective panel section. The arms 1 of the complemental sections 5 are adapted to be juxtaposed in assembly and have aligned openings to receive ahinge pintle 8. The hinge pintles may also serve as the axis for rollers 9- on the hinges at the ends of the panel sections.

. Each pair of angle bars 4 for connecting ads joining sections and the hinges associated with said pair of angle bars, together constitute a construction unit. The angle bars with the associated hinge sections may be assembled on the panel sections at the factory and the panel sections may be connected together at the site of installation by the simple insertion of the hinge pintles 8. It will be observed that the flange 40 of each angle bar normally is spaced from and parallel to the corresponding flange of the other bar, while the other flanges 4a are disposed in parallel planes as shown in Figure 2 and the hinge sections are connected to the first-mentioned flanges 4c.

The upper and lower panel sections will require only one hinge section at each end of the corresponding panel to serve as a support for the roller axle.

Mounted on a plate l l fastened to each stile l at each side of the lower panel section X is a pawl member or dog l2. The upper end of this pawl member is formed with opposed nose portions 13 and I l extending from its side edges in the plane of the body of the pawl and with spaced teeth 15 and 16 extending at right angles to the plane of the body. An opening I1 is formed in the body between the teeth l and It. The lower end of the pawl is provided with a counter-sunk opening is adapted to receive the curved head of a pin or bolt !9 fixed to the plate H whereby the pawl is adapted to fall away from the door as well as turn on the bolt.

In installing the door, a track 29 is mounted on an angle bar 2! fastened to a fixed strip 22 on the frame at each side of the door opening. The track includes a vertical leg 23 extending throughout the height of the door opening and a horizontal leg 2% disposed above the door opening. The track is formed with a curved outer wall 25 and a plane inner wall 25. The panel sections are assembled in the tracks in the manner disclosed in my Patent 2,134,397.

The angle bar 2! that supports the tracks is formed at its lower end with ratchet teeth 21, and the plane inner wall 25 of the track is also formed with similar teeth 23 but disposed at right angles to the plane of the teeth 2?. Suitably fastened to each stile I at each side of the bottom panel section, at its bottom end, is a plate 29 formed with ratchet teeth 39 directly opposite and in a line with teeth 28 as shown in Figure 14. As will be seen from this figure, the upper end of the pawl member i2 is positioned between these toothed portions.

As usual the door will be counterbalanced as by chains 3! at the sides of the door. Each chain passes over guide rollers 32 and 33 and has its upper end fastened to an anchor 34 for example fixed on the horizontal leg 24 of a track. Rollers 32 have peripheral pockets to cause interlocking or driving engagement between the rollers and chains, and the rollers are fastened to a shaft 35 suitably journalled in brackets 36 fixed on the door frame over the door opening. The lower end of each chain is connected to the upper end of a pawl member I2 through the opening I? in the pawl member. Each roller 33 floats and is connected to the end of a tension spring 31, the other end of which spring is attached to a fixed support such as the track mounting 3B.

In operation of the door, the panel sections may he slid along the tracks 20 in order to locate them across the door opening to close the door or to move them into the horizontal port on of the track to open the door. This may be accomplished by a pull chain 39 passing over a sheave 4G fixed to one of the outer ends of shaft 35. The sheave is formed with peripheral pock ets 4i for receiving the chain links to prevent slippage thereover. A hook 42 fastened to the door frame adjacent the inner reach of chain 39 is adapted to engage one of the links of said chain for preventing rotation of the sheave and thereby preventing such movement of the rollers 32 and chains 31 as would cause opening or closing of the door.

When the door is in the closed position of Figure 1, each spring 3! will hold its chain 3! taut and the attached pawl member 12 in an upright vertical position as viewed in Figure 4. When the door is raised slightly such as seen in Figure 5 for example by an unauthorized person from the outside, the chain will become slackened and the tension on the pawl member i2 will be released permitting it to fall by gravity in one of three directions, either in opposed directions in the plane of the body of the pawl member or in a direction in line with the axis of its mounting bolt [9 away from the door. It will be understood that the pawl member is loosely mounted on its bolt and no matter in which direction the pawl member falls, its nose portions or teeth will engage a tooth of one of the sets of ratchet teeth provided at the lower end of the frame of the door opening and thereby lock the door against movement.

In Figure 5, the pawl member is shown fallen away from the door with its teeth l5 and It in engagement with the ratchet teeth 21 of the angle bar 2!. When in this position, the pawl member firmly and securely holds the door against upward movement and thus locks the same. It will be understood that if the pawl member had turned on its bolt instead of falling away from the door, its nose portion 13 would have engaged teeth 28 on the wall 26 of the track as shown in Figure 9 or its nose portion 14 would have engaged teeth so on the opposed plate 29 as shown in Figure 8 with the same result.

The door may be purposely locked from the inside by manual s ackening of the chains 3i so that the pawl membersmay fall by gravity into engagement with the ratchet teeth on the frame of the door. In Figures 6 and 10 a chain 3! has been manually slackened and its pawl member is shown with its teeth 15 and I (i in looking engagement with the teeth 21 on the angle bar 2 I.

In each of Figures 8 and 9, the chain has been manually slackened from the inside and the pawl member has fallen in Figure 8 with its nose member IS in looking engagement with the ratchet teeth 35 on the plate 29, and in Figure 9, with its nose portion H! in looking engagement with the ratchet teeth 28 on the wall 26 of track 2%).

Changes in details of construction may be made without departing from the principle or scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A door comprising a frame, a door panel vertically movably mounted therein, a rotatable shaft on said frame above and extending across the door opening, ratchet teeth on said frame adjacent the lower end of each side thereof, a pawl pivoted to each side of said door adjacent its lower edge and adapted to' swing by gravitational action into engagement with said teeth for locking the door panel against upward movement, a spring tensioned chain having driving engageme t S d s aft and connected to each pawl for holding the pawl normally out of engagement with the adjacent ratchet teeth on the frame, and means for rotating said shaft so that upon rotation in one direction after the door is closed, the tension on said chains will be relieved to permit said pawls to engage said ratchet teeth and lock the door, and means releasaioly looking said shaft in the position to cause engagement of said pawls with said ratchet teeth.

2. A door comprising a frame, a vertically movable door section mounted therein, means for moving said door section vertically in the frame, a pawl pivoted at one end on said door section to swing in either of two vertical planes that are perpendicular to each other, said pawl having teeth at two oppositely disposed edges and having a tooth at a plane at right angles to the planes of said oppositely disposed teeth, oppositely disposed sets of teeth at opposite sides of said pawl on said frame and another set of teeth on said frame disposed at right angles to said oppositely REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the of this patent: I UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,203,948 Wiemer Nov. 7, 1916 1,404,053 Peelle Jan. 1'7, 1922 2,032,768

Rowe Mar. 3, 1936 

